Apparatus for shaping metal bars

ABSTRACT

IN AN APPARATUS FOR SHAPING METAL BARS, PARTICULARLY CASTINGS IMMEDIATELY SUPPLIED FROM A CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT, COMPRISING A SERIES OF ROLLING STANDS IN TANDEM ARRANGEMENT CONTAINING PAIRS OF ROLLS, IN WHICH THE ROLLS ARE ARRANGED BY MEANS OF INSERTS, EASY AND ACCURATE ALIGNMENT OF THE ROLL GAPS IN THE DIRECTION OF ROLLING IS ACHIEVED ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION BY PROVIDING FOR EACH ROLL OF A PAIR OFF ROLLS BEING ADJUSTABLE AWAY FROM AND TOWARDS THE ROLL PASS AXIS IN THAT THE TWO INSERTS OF A PAIR WHICH ARE SLIDINGLY ARRANGED WITHIN COMMON VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL GUIDE MEANS, ARE INTERCONNECTED AND URGED AGAINST INTERPOSED WEDGES BY HYDRAULIC MEANS EXERTING A PRESSURE EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM ROLL PRESSURE THAT MAY OCCUR, SAID WEDGES BEING INTERCONNECTED TO BE RELATIVELY MOVABLE BY A THREADED SPINDLE SO AS TO CHANGE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID INSERTS AND THEREBY THE ROLL GAP.

Dec. 14, 1971 m-rgn cj z I 3,626,740

APPARATUS FOR SHAPING METAL BARS Filed July 24, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

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| I 23 24 l I INVENTOR. Ekusr Muraem'iz L M )MM m Arman/s15 United States Patent US. Cl. 72-244 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In an apparatus for shaping metal bars, particularly castings immediately supplied from a continuous casting plant, comprising a series of rolling stands in tandem arrangement containing pairs of rolls, in which the rolls are arranged by means of inserts, easy and accurate alignment of the roll gaps in the direction of rolling is achieved according to the invention by providing for each roll of a pair of rolls being adjustable away from and towards the roll pass axis in that the two inserts of a pair which are slidingly arranged within common vertical or horizontal guide means, are interconnected and urged against interposed wedges by hydraulic means exerting a pressure exceeding the maximum roll pressure that may occur, said Wedges being interconnected to be relatively movable by a threaded spindle so as to change the distance between said inserts and thereby the roll gap.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for shaping metal bars, in particular such following a continuous casting plant, with a series of rolling stands in tandem arrangement containing pairs of rolls, in which the rolls are arranged by means of inserts, suitably one rolling stand with horizontal rolls and one with vertical rolls being alternately provided.

In continuous casting practice it is frequently required to produce small-section metal cast bars, which can immediately be further rolled on small-section trains. With conventional plants the casting leaves the mould with a cross-section usually exceeding 80 x 80 mm. The crosssection of said casting must be reduced on break-down trains. On break-down trains in which rolling stands having horizontal rolls alternate with rolling stands having vertical rolls, the guiding of the casting through the rollgap area of the successive stands raises difficulties. As with known plants only one roll, usually the top roll, is adjustable during the rolling process, the other roll (bottom roll) of each rolling stand had to be previously aligned to the desired direction of rolling, e.g. by means of underpadding, packing or by special manually operated alignment means. This involves much preparatory work. A further disadvantage of the plants known was an insufficient range of adjustment of the working rolls, which made it impossible to pass the roll gap with the large initial section given by the mould.

The action of the roll pressure on the roll supports produced expansions within the latter, which eventually affected the size of the roll gap. This called for a rigid and heavy construction of the roll supports to get minimum expansions only.

The present invention aims at avoiding these disadvantages and difliculties and provides that in an apparatus of the initially described type each roll of a pair of rolls is adjustable away from and towards the roll pass axis in that the two inserts respectively slidingly arranged within a common vertical or horizontal guide are interconnected and urged against wedges lying in between at a pressure exceeding the maximum possible roll pressure, said "ice wedges being connected with each other by a threaded spindle and movable towards each other for changing the distance of the inserts and thus of the roll gap.

The connection between the inserts is preferably effected by hydraulically operated cylinders symmetrically arranged on either side and directly connected to the inserts.

Another embodiment of the invention consists in that the inserts are connected with each other via linked arms, rocking levers, and hydraulically operated cylinders symmetrically arranged on either side, the rocking levers being pivoted to the roll supports and articulated to the hydraulically operated cylinders and to the linked arms pivotally connected to the inserts.

According to a further feature of the invention the roll supports within the range of the roll pass axis have on either side guides, in which the wedges are displaceably arranged.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood it will now be described by way of two embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the inserts of a pair of rolls, perpendicular to the axis of the rolls, and illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an identical sectional view of another embodiment of the invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1 the rolls 1, 2 are placed in inserts 3, 4, which are displaceably arranged in the roll supports. On one side the roll supports 5 are connected by a fixed cross connection 6 and on the other side by a detachable cap connection 7. The inserts 3, 4 have laterally arranged eyes 8, 9, 10, 11, connected by the pins 12, 13, 14, 1'5 with hydraulically operated cylinders 16, 17; the inserts 3, 4 are thus directly coupled to each other by the hydraulically operated cylinders 16, 17.

Within the range of the roll pass axis the wedges 18, 19 are mounted between the inserts :by female nuts 20, 21, which are movable relative to each other with the aid of the threaded spindle 22, whereby the distance of the inserts and thus the roll gap is changed. The threaded spindle 22 has on one side a left-handed thread and on the other side a right-handed thread to which the corresponding female nuts 20, 21 in the wedges belong. The guides 23, 24 keep the wedges in position on 'both sides of the roll supports within the range of the roll pass axis, which results in an accurately symmetrical adjustment of the inserts 3, 4 to the roll pass axis. With this embodiment the roll supports '5 are completely free from roll pressure.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2 two inserts 3, 4 are articulated to the hydraulically operated cylinders 27 connecting them with each other by symmetrically arranged linkages comprising linked arms 25 and rocking levers 26. The linked arms are pivoted to the eyes 8, 9', 10, 11 of the inserts by the pins 28 and in engagement with the rocking levers through the pins 29. The rocking levers are connected to the roll support 5 by the pins 30 and revolvable thereabout. The pivotal connection of the cylinders with the rocking levers is effected by the pins 31. In this embodiment the pins 30 transmit the roll pressure to the roll supports 5.

According to the invention the pressure acting on the inserts during the rolling process and urging them towards each other onto the wedges exceeds in both embodiments always the maximum roll pressure. The expansion of the other structural members according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 or the expansion of the roll supports in the embodiment according to FIG. 2 can therefore-under the action of the roll pressurenot affect the size of the roll gap.

The invention may also be modified in thate.g. when using a rolling stand with horizontal rolls-the lower inserts are stationarily fixed, so that the upper inserts only are moved by the motion of the wedges.

What I claim is:

1. A rolling stand comprising two parallel roll supports, a pair of inserts slidingly arranged in each of said roll supports, a pair of rolls defining a roll gap and mounted in the rolling stand by said inserts, means connecting together each pair of inserts of each roll support, said means adapted to urge said inserts toward each other, a pair of wedges positioned between each pair of inserts of each roll support, and means connecting together each pair of wedges and adapted to allow movement of said wedges relative to each other.

2. The rolling stand as defined in claim 1 wherein said means connecting together the pair of inserts of each roll support comprise a pair of hydraulically operated cylinders.

3. The rolling stand as defined in claim 11 wherein each pair of wedges are positioned in a guide means in said roll supports and said means connecting together each pair of wedges comprises a threaded spindle.

4. The rolling stand as defined in claim 1 wherein said means connecting together each pair of inserts of each roll support comprise a plurality of linked arms, a plurality of rocking levers, and a plurality of hydraulically operated cylinders, each of said rocking levers pivotly connected to said roll supports and connected to one of said linked arms and one of said hydraulically operated cylinders and each of said linked arms pivotly connected to said inserts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANCIS S. HUSAR, Primary Examiner 

